Jerome Felton has seen footage of Emmitt Smith's stirring tribute in his 2010 Hall of Fame speech to Daryl Johnston. He watched as Smith had tears in his eyes and said he loved his former Dallas fullback "from the bottom of my heart.''

One day, Felton wants to be in Canton, Ohio, when Adrian Peterson is enshrined.

"I want to be able to go to the Hall of Fame when he's giving his Hall of Fame speech and be able to say, 'I helped him get there,' " Felton said.

Felton is the Vikings' fullback, the guy helping pave the way for Peterson. In 2012, his first season in Minnesota, Felton helped the star running back rush for 2,097 yards, the second-most in NFL history.

When Felton was suspended for the first three games this season for a violation of the NFL's substance-abuse policy last year, Peterson averaged just 4.1 yards per carry and the Vikings lost all three. Coincidence?

Minnesota wide receiver Jarius Wright says Felton is Peterson's "bodyguard." Coach Leslie Frazier says that the two have a "great bond," and that Felton's blocking ability has gained Peterson's trust.

"We have a real good relationship," Peterson said. "Off the field, we communicate and talk. On the field, we definitely have to be on the same page. ... Earlier in the season, when he wasn't out there with us, it was a little more tough sledding. And once he got back into the mix of things, the running game started to open up a little more."

Peterson averaged a career-high 6.0 yards per carry last season, and Felton joined him in the Pro Bowl. This season, Peterson has rushed for 1,208 yards and a 4.6 average, including a 4.8 average in games with Felton.

Felton and Peterson have played only 25 regular-season games together, and their relationship is still growing. But it has the makings of going down as another notable pairing of a record-setting runner and his trusted right-hand man.

Minnesota running back Adrian Peterson finds a big hole in the Packers defense created by fullback Jerome Felton's block, right, in the overtime of the Minnesota Vikings game against the Green Bay Packers on Nov. 24 at Lambeau Field. The Vikings and Packers played to a 26-26 tie. (Pioneer Press: John Autey)

When O.J. Simpson set a then-NFL rushing record of 2,003 yards in 1973, his fullback was Jim Braxton. After Braxton died of cancer in 1986, Simpson delivered an emotional eulogy in which he said, "Bubby was my protector on the field, my companion off it."

When Eric Dickerson of the Los Angeles Rams broke the record with 2,105 yards in 1984, his fullback was Mike Guman. Guman, Dickerson's teammate for five seasons, remembers texting Dickerson last season after Peterson just missed breaking the mark.

"I just said, 'You still got the record for another year,' " Guman said. "He texted me back and he said, 'No, we still got the record.' That meant a lot to me."

When Chicago's Walter Payton broke the NFL career rushing record in 1984, his fullback was Matt Suhey. The two were so close that when Payton died of liver disease in 1999, Suhey became the executor of his estate.

When Smith topped Payton's mark in 2002, Johnston was three years into retirement because of a neck injury. But during Smith's Pro Football Hall of Fame speech, he asked Johnston to stand up in the audience and said the enshrinement "would not have been possible" without Johnston's sacrifices.

For 10 seasons, Johnston played alongside Smith, who finished his career in 2004 with 18,355 yards.

"I was like an escort," said Johnston, now a Fox analyst. "You're kind of clearing the way and making things easier for him. ... I can see where Jerome says he's Secret Service. He's the guy that is out front, leading the way through, making sure that everything is clean so the president has gotten through."

Peterson, who passed the 10,000-yard career mark last weekend and has 10,057 entering Sunday's game at Baltimore, has vowed to break Smith's record. Felton wants to keep leading the way.

Peterson said that earlier in his career, he didn't always like running behind a fullback, and he admits, "I still kind of don't like it now at times." Still, he doesn't deny that "sometimes it's good to have that guy in front of you."

Peterson, 28, has been a star since he joined the Vikings in 2007, setting an NFL single-game rushing record that season with 296 yards against San Diego. But Felton clearly has made a difference.

In their 25 regular-season games together, Peterson has averaged 121.0 yards and 5.6 per carry. In his other 76 career games, he has averaged 92.5 yards and 4.8 per carry.

"You got to be able to go out there and get it done together, and you have to be in sync with the fullback and you got to trust him," Peterson said. "So, with that, you're able to build a good relationship."

Felton, 27, signed as a free agent with the Vikings in March 2012 after four seasons with Detroit, Carolina and Indianapolis. Frazier said it didn't take long for Felton to win over Peterson.

"You see Jerome making certain plays and sacrifices," Frazier said. "The execution by Jerome has endeared him to Adrian, and the success he has had since Jerome has been here. ... They have a very good relationship. Jerome and Adrian, they spend a lot of time together in the offseason. They've developed a great bond."

Felton understands his role -- blocking for Peterson. In college, Felton gained 940 yards one season at Furman and rushed for 23 touchdowns in another. With the Vikings, he has no regular-season carries, although he has caught nine passes.

The Vikings rewarded Felton after last season with a three-year, $7.5 million contract, knowing Felton could face NFL discipline. Felton was arrested in June 2012 on suspicion of driving while impaired.

Life was harder for Peterson and the Vikings (3-8-1) when Felton was suspended. Minnesota lost 34-24 at Detroit, 31-30 at Chicago and 31-27 at home to Cleveland.

Take away a 78-yard touchdown run on his first play of the season against the Lions, and Peterson ran for just 203 yards on his other 68 carries during those three games.

That's a meager average of just under 3 yards per carry.

"He was mad at me when he found out about the suspension," Felton said. "He was pretty upset when he learned about it, and I talked to (the running backs on the team), and I just let them know how bad I felt about missing those games.

"After one of the games that I missed, (Peterson) came up to me and he gave me the fake whimper. We just crossed paths, and he kind of said, 'Oh, you should be out there.' That made me feel good. He does count on me."

Wright called Peterson and Felton two "great friends." Wide receiver Cordarrelle Patterson said the two running backs "talk all the time'' and are always sitting beside each other in meeting rooms.

"I think we've got a really good rapport," Felton said. "Before every game, I let him know I've got his back and I'll be there for him. ... Whenever he's on the ground, I get there before anybody else. I'm going to make sure he gets off the ground, so he doesn't have to pick himself up. If somebody's laying on him, I'm trying to rip him off. I just try to make life easier for him."

Peterson and Felton get together at times away from football, sometimes with other running backs, to go bowling or get a bite to eat.

"They have a good time teasing one another," said Vikings running backs coach James Saxon. "Jerome tells us about how productive he was in college. He tells (Peterson that). He just looks at him and laughs."

Stay tuned to see if one day in Canton, Peterson has emotions of a different sort when talking about Felton.